Texas Could Set Wildfire Record

The state of Texas is on track to set a record for one of the worst fire seasons it has experienced, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. Little to no amounts of rain, plus triple-digit temperatures, contributed to the current wildfire season, Fox 4 News reported. 

Adam Turner from Texas A&M said it has been at least ten years since Texas has experienced a wildfire season with a similar duration.

Turner told Fox 4 News, “The years that compare to this fire season, just in terms of duration, would be 2012, 2005, 2006.”

This year’s wildfire season has dragged on for more than 240 days and is still ongoing. It could last for another three months, according to Turner. He told Fox 4 News that this is the worst season he has experienced since being with Texas A&M. 

“It’s the closest I’ve ever felt to being in an oven,” he said. “Maybe you only work for 20 minutes, and then you have to go get in the truck, rest for another 15 minutes, so you can actually cool back down enough and rehydrate.”

Texas A&M helps local fire departments across the state respond to wildfires. In addition, the agency assists with the clean-up that is needed after a fire is contained, according to the Texas A&M website. 

Turner told Fox 4 News they have spent a lot of time on the clean-up process this fire season. 

He said, “We are doing some really extensive mop-up, so we are seeing extensive time spent on all these fires.”

During this fire season, Texas A&M has responded to 7,680 wildfires, which burned about 630,000 acres, according to the agency. 

On August 9, Texas A&M responded to a wildfire in Lufkin, alongside the Lufkin Fire Department. The fire started near Hoshall Drive, Kicks 105 reported. 

It is unclear how the fire was started, according to Jessica Pebsworth with the City of Lufkin. 

“Though we don’t know exactly how this fire started, we have had reports of heavy lightning in the area from yesterday evening’s storms,” Pebsworth told Kicks 105. “Again, we ask that this incident be a reminder of the current fire danger. Angelina County and the City of Lufkin remain under a burn ban.”

As of August 13, there were five active wildfires across Texas. These included the Pawnee, Fri-Jol, Huffy, Pine Pond, and Burns Creek Fires. 

Turner told Fox 4 News that Texas A&M tries to minimize the damage of wildfires as much as possible. He said once they finish with one fire, they are prepared to respond to another. 

“Finish up what you’re doing, get prepped for the next one, and then a game of sit and wait and let’s see when the next fire kicks off,” Turner said. 

Statistics from Texas A&M state that 80% of wildfires happen within two miles of a community, and no area in Texas is immune.